Psychomachia
by Doubleplusgoodduckspeaker
Summary: When there’s nothing left to burn you have to set yourself on fire. Yuumeishipping.


Title: Psychomachia

Author: Doubleplusgoodduckspeaker

Summary: When there's nothing left to burn you have to set yourself on fire. Yuumeishipping.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Notes: Written for the Final Round (Round Twelve) of Compy's YGO Contest. Yuumeishipping, or as I like to call it, Puzzletenderbronzepsychoheart**etc**shipping…. Yeah…I joined this contest to be challenged, and this was definitely the challenge I was looking for! Thank you to everyone at the YGO Fanfiction Contest for giving me the opportunity to improve my writing in a way that eclipsed the two college creative writing courses I took during the duration of the contest. This is written as an AU Battle City, I will be changing events/motivations to suit the pairing. This whole story is told in an almost 'choose your own adventure' kind of way, with the parts told out of order in standalone italics.

* * *

"When there's nothing left to burn you have to set yourself on fire"

--Stars, Your Ex-Lover's Dead

* * *

**Scene Zero:**

_Ryou used to wander the halls of his soul room looking for a door until the day came that he found a window. He supposed, now, that it had been created on purpose—Bakura would want him to see what he helped create. Bitterly, he could almost hear his voice, mocking, calling it a masterpiece, his greatest achievement. _

_Ryou's body folded to the floor—he didn't want to look at his best friend anymore. He had been told it would be the pharaoh, not Yugi, he had begged and pleaded to save his friend, so perhaps, free of all this madness, this darkness which permeated everything, they could have been more—_

_But now, he had not the slightest bit of hope. _

**—**

—**Psychomachia—**

—

**Scene Three:**

Bakura's turbulent dreams were suddenly interrupted by a visitor.

"Marik, what are you doing here?" Bakura crossed his arms and frowned. It wasn't like his mind had a receiving room for guests, however unwelcome they may be. "I thought Yugi was supposed to be dead by now. Does this mean you lost?"

"The plan has changed," Marik's eyes narrowed only a fraction, the single indication that Bakura's words had any effect on him.

"What is it they say? If at first you don't succeed…?"

"Get to the Battle City finals. I've managed to convince them that I'm an ally, but eventually, the truth will come out. We'll face Yugi eventually, and when he loses, I'll finally be able to get my hands on the Pharaoh."

"…A fate worse than death," Bakura grinned. He wanted the Pharaoh for himself, and he would… he needn't concern himself with Marik. This was an alliance of convenience, he told himself. They had a plan, and like the best plans it involved power, darkness, and ended with each of them getting exactly what they wanted. Together they would destroy Yugi Moto, and then the Pharaoh would be his, and he would suffer just as Bakura had suffered. _Then_ Marik could have him.

Marik had been visiting him a lot…whether it was because he didn't trust him or for any other reason he couldn't tell. He didn't care. The closer he became was simply a shortening of the fuse. "And then once Yugi is defeated, I'll get the Millennium Rod."

"Of course," Marik replied, dismissively, all too quickly. "Now get your host's body off of that bed. I know you're stronger than _that_."

Bakura opened his eyes and found himself alone with that man. Sugoroku was not Yugi, but that didn't mean Bakura didn't feel a twinge of pleasure when he struck the man down. He had a blimp to catch.

* * *

**Scene Four:**

Ryou hated lying to his friends almost as much as he hated lying to himself. He smiled and laughed and said pretty words to distract them from everything—what he was doing here, how his injuries were already gone, most importantly—_why_ he was here. The truth was he did heal quickly.

He had often wondered what it would feel like to be crossed in love. The prickling of skin whenever they brushed shoulders, the flush on his features when he talked to them, the averted gaze, the slightly lowered lashes were all there, but their catalysts were wrong, all wrong. How was it that he treasured every moment he spent with Yugi and his friends, but was in constant fear that he be found out? He thought of them… but he also had to think of _him_.

When he had first touched the Ring and met him, there were also the smiles, laughter, and pretty words, and that was enough to get him to play a little game. And he had lost, and he was _his_. Ryou knew well the threats hidden in words and touches, but there was also a small part of him that knew that he would do whatever the Spirit asked of him, and willingly. Like he was doing right now.

He had known the Spirit much longer than he had known Yugi, after all. That's what he kept telling himself, anyway. He dreaded what would happen if he had to face Yugi in a duel—he would _almost_ rather face Marik. He understood him—in the way one thought they understood someone who was so like them and yet so different.

* * *

**Scene Eight:**

"_Isn't your mind getting a little crowded, Bakura?" Marik knew of the Spirit's arrangement, of course, knew that it was almost complete, yet knew of no way to stop it. He wasn't even sure he wanted to at this point; he would not deny that sharing the Pharaoh with the Spirit and his host would put him to a much better use than his other half could ever come up with, although he doubted his darker side would ever get tired of spilling his blood. "Are you sure you even have room for one more?"_

"_The Darkness is infinite. Surely you know that." Bakura paused, lazily. "And yes, I believe I do."_

_Once Marik's mind had been pushed from his own body he sought refuge within Bakura's, and the knowledge that came with such a transfer did not surprise him. The Spirit of the Ring was hardly known to be honest, after all. _

"_You're going to steal him, aren't you?"_

"_Of course," Bakura replied. "It's what I do best, after all."_

"_And what about my body?" Marik said. "I know _you _live like this, but I need mine back."_

"_Soon, soon." Bakura watched the duel before them unfold through his host's eyes. "When the Pharaoh loses, he will belong to you. You know what to do."_

"…_And he will…?"_

"_Divide? Yes. The Darkness will take him, eventually. I'll make sure of that."_

_Bakura would, indeed. He was not honest, but that did not mean that he would let his opponent's mistake slide. Marik wanted his payment in blood; he would get his in flesh. _

* * *

**Scene Five:**

This might have been the one duel that Yugi did not want to participate in, yet every time he looked into those wild eyes the fire blazing behind his own burned even brighter. "Who are you?" He cried.

As if responding to his thoughts the Puzzle began to glow and its spirit took control; the Ring mimicked his actions, bringing its own malevolent spirit from the shadows. All the cards were on the table now. Yugi could clearly see what was happening on the field from his place in the Spirit's consciousness, as he hoped Ryou could see their duel from his own vantage point. He wanted Ryou to know he was fighting for him, that it wasn't just about saving the world anymore—he wanted to save his friends. He had no other choice.

And when he reached for the next card at the top of his deck and summoned Slifer, it was Ryou he was thinking about. Just maybe, if he beat the Spirit of the Ring, it would return Ryou to the way things were before. He shouldn't have to suffer.

He paused, his eyes widening in shock and horror as he noticed the way Ryou's body suddenly changed. He seemed to alter from the inside, distorting back into the familiar yet oddly broken form of his friend. Yugi looked into his eyes and knew that he did not belong here and his next move could very well be his friend's last

_Ryou! What was he doing here?_

_Now, just minutes away from his attack? What was going on?_

Yugi twisted his body in midair and saw him, Marik, advancing on the playing field with his Item held high. Using it he had managed to completely separate the Spirit of the Ring from Ryou. The Spirit of the Puzzle tensed, waiting for Yugi to give the call for an attack. It never came. That was their plan—and it had worked before, hadn't it? This time, with Ryou separated, vulnerable, the effects of just one attack was something he didn't want to think about.

Ryou blinked several times in the harsh winds which whipped past the blimp. One minute—he was _there_, and the next… he could see the Pharaoh across the dueling arena, which meant…_Yugi_!

He looked down, and could see Marik and his brother, still wielding the Millennium Rod and knew that they had everyone fooled. He had seen the real Marik before, in his mind, and wondered how it had all come to this. If he had the strength to surrender he just might have forfeited.

He knew the Spirit of the Ring could hear him from where he stood, his body flickering faintly in the air next to Marik, the real Marik, and they were talking. Bakura didn't look happy. His knees shaking, Ryou turned to where he stood, every fiber of his being pleading for him to come back. He realized, just as his knees gave out, that split from his Spirit he couldn't do anything.

He felt the light dim around him and heard the rustle of fabric just as Bakura caught him before he could fall. He was back. They both were. Ryou's head slumped against Bakura's chest as he was carried back to his chamber, but he could hear the Spirit's words resonate throughout the space.

"_Go ahead and attack me. Don't worry; I won't let your friend die. Now attack! This body is very important to me. I won't let it die."_

Yugi called the attack, and for a full minute the arena was bathed in light.

* * *

**Scene Two:**

_Bakura hadn't known what possessed him to leap in front of the speeding motorcycle, but it had set in motion a chain of events that he never would have anticipated even for all his meticulous planning. As a mockery of civility they exchanged introductions, Millennium Items brandished like the swords and shields they were. Bakura's gambit was straightforward, with no room for misinterpretation. "Give me your Item."_

"_Why do you want my Millennium Item?" Marik growled, the Item in question glowing brightly in the dimly lit alleyway. _

"_Power." Bakura's eyes gleamed. "With all seven Items I can unlock an ancient power that can rule the world. It's what I was meant to do—almost as if there's a part of myself locked away with it." He crossed his arms, sneering at the Egyptian. "I already have two—with yours and Yugi's puzzle it won't be long before—"_

"_Yugi? I am quite familiar with him." Marik knew that name well—it was the vessel which housed the Pharaoh—the source of the power he was so keen on taking for his own. They had already faced off several times, even though the duelist had no idea of his real identity. Bakura obviously didn't realize that the power of the Pharaoh eclipsed that of the Items—after all; it was from his hand that the Items were forged! "It seems we both have common goals… I propose an alliance, of sorts. You help me get what I desire, and I'll give you my Millennium Rod."_

"_And why should I help you?" Bakura knew he could overpower him. It was nothing he hadn't done before. _

"_You want the Items? I know who owns the Millennium Necklace. It belongs to my sister." Marik smirked as Bakura considered this new information. Information, both given and withheld was simply another method of control. To be at the top of the pyramid meant you controlled everyone below you—that was the only way to rise even higher. And he would be at the top. He would have the Pharaoh's power. "Duel for me, and win me the cards that I want, and only then will I give you my Millennium Item."_

"_We'll help each other get what we want."_

"You_ have a deal."_

_What Marik didn't know was that Bakura also wanted the Pharaoh—he just wasn't as hurried about it. What was a day to the thousands of years already spent waiting? He had been denied his revenge for so long, and it would be his turn—he would leave him broken and alone—no friends, no relatives, no one would be there to save him. He wouldn't even be able to save himself. _

* * *

**Scene Six:**

It was a rare moment, for Yugi to be alone on the blimp. Marik figured everyone else was with Bakura. He smirked—there'd be many more casualties when he was the champion of this tournament. Looking at the vessel of the Pharaoh, he just couldn't resist being close to that power. It was intoxicating, being that close. And soon… it would be his. His smirk melted into a pretend-pleased smile as Yugi noticed his presence. "Hey, Namu. Taking a break between rounds?"

"Yeah… I hope I don't have to duel next." _Only because I wouldn't be facing off against you._

"I honestly can't wait for this tournament to be over," Yugi said, turning from where he had previously sat, facing out the window. The bright lights of Domino city twinkled brightly below them, as other families went to sleep. They didn't have that luxury. "Then we can start to figure out the truth behind my Millennium Puzzle." He cradled the pyramid-shaped puzzle in his hands, its weight seemingly increasing in the past few days.

"Anzu told me something crazy about that Puzzle." Marik shifted his body slightly, turning more towards the window. "With all this talk of spirits and magical artifacts, I don't know what to believe. Is this sort of thing normal for you?"

"More normal than you think." Yugi said, feeling a little uncomfortable at his companion's keen gaze…it was like he wasn't even trying to look at him, but beyond him, to the other him— "So…what do you know about ancient Egypt?" He shook that unsettling feeling to the back of his mind and smiled.

Marik smiled back, but on the inside he, too, had a different persona, who was struggling at the bonds put in place long ago, weakened by time and by the host himself. "More than you know."

He shifted his body just a fraction more until his hand brushed, not accidentally, against Yugi's arm. His eyes widened as he gazed at the Puzzle almost reverently. It pulsed, almost as if it was calling to him. He was so close… if he wanted to, he could reach out and touch it. He didn't know if he could contain himself, if it would be too much. Just one touch…_just one…_

* * *

**Scene One:**

_We've met before. But you don't know it. _

_You see my Rare Hunters; you see an opponent across the dueling arena, a means to an end, a locator card, any number of things. _

_I see you. _

_I've had my eye on you for a very long time, and with each duel, as we become closer and closer, as you slowly come to understand me the way I know you… things are progressing very quickly. I want you to know me…I don't think you'll be disappointed. _

_I know many things about you. You could say that my entire life has been all… about… you. _

_I don't hate you…anymore. _**He**_'s helped me understand that. If you are to be my life, then the proper thing to do would be to introduce myself. _

_My life has taken a turn, so to say. There are bigger and better things I seek. My life has been so limited by that power that you don't even know you posess. I think… I might just take that for myself._

_You won't see it coming. You can't find it in you to think poorly about anyone. You want to be friends with everyone; you can't form those boundaries anymore. To you, friend means anything…and everything._

_I'll be your friend, Yugi. Just one thing first—_

_Let's play a little card game. Between friends._

* * *

**Scene Seven:**

Odion raised his hand, trembling with the effort, and pointed it at his brother. "That's the real Marik. I can't keep him under control…anymore…" He slipped into unconsciousness just as a feral shriek from the man in question cut through the air. Yugi's skin prickled all over and it had nothing to do with the howling winds which buffered the blimp. He couldn't even look at him anymore. _This_ _is the man who was the cause of all of my friends' pain and suffering! He tried to kill me_!

What made that prickling feeling come back was that he couldn't look away. Yugi could see Marik's features reflected in the glowing light of his Millennium Rod, and his eyes were directly on him. _What does he want?_ He was afraid that he already knew the answer.

_This_ was the moment he had been waiting for. His victory was close at hand, and the prize was just within his grasp. He could clearly see the pain in Yugi's eyes…he thought he had been betrayed. It was beautiful to watch, to know that he had caused it. "At last!" His voice boomed in the silence. It seemed that time itself had stopped for nobody moved nor spoke a word. They couldn't. "Now that my shadow is gone, I am free to do as I wish. It's time to take things to the next level…just wait."

The Marik of their thoughts and dreams was gone, replaced with one much worse. Marik ran one hand over the Millennium Rod as if caressing the metal surface, his gaze never leaving Yugi's.

"He was afraid of the dark, but not me—I love Darkness very much."

Yugi simply stood, and stared, and knew that he would be battling for not only his life, but the other him, and the power that his shadow possessed but unfortunately couldn't unlock.

* * *

**Scene Nine:**

Marik found himself in a stone-lined corridor, wondering how he had ended up in such as unwelcoming place. He was without his Item, cards, and the pathway underneath his feet stretched out at both ends until it disappeared into darkness. It was eerily quiet, and he couldn't tell where the light was coming from—there weren't any windows cut into the rock.

He pressed one palm against the stone. It was cold—how dark did it have to be to get the stone this cold?

"Ryou?"

For a minute he thought he saw a ghost. Ryou approached him with measured steps, his pale skin making him look almost wraithlike in the dim light.

"You're here too?" Ryou's eyes were impossibly huge. "What has he done to you?"

"Wait, hold on." Marik had enough of the questions—it was time for answers. "Just where are we?"

"You're in my mind," Ryou replied, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. They walked back in the direction Ryou had come from, and still the path stretched on. "It's a wonder how you got here, though. Someone else would have to be in your body—"

Marik stopped. "Someone is." **He** hadn't come out in years—not since that terrible day, years ago. He thought those memories were gone forever, buried underneath the shifting sands, but he supposed he was wrong. "That darker side of me… he has to be stopped. You don't understand…"

Ryou smiled bitterly, and pushed open a door which appeared rather suddenly on their right. "I do understand." They both had their demons, and it was both of their faults, there was no denying that anymore. The darker side was born from his own emotions; he created this monster, it was his fault, all his and no one else's.

The room was completely empty, its only redeeming feature was a small window cut into the rock wall. They were just able to peek over the ledge and see

"That's **him**!" Marik nearly shouted, his voice edged with what Ryou could detect as shock and fear. The window looked out over the dueling arena, where the two shadows could see their bodies on opposite sides of the platform. Marik felt his stomach turn. He was looking at himself, moving and breathing and speaking such terrible words… the true plan, he had never guessed it lay deeper than that. _True power…_

He felt Ryou's hands on his shoulders, rubbing through the flimsy fabric and then he realized that he had been shaking. "Are you alright?" Ryou looked worried. He should be worried about himself, Marik realized. Did he live _here_?

"I'm fine." Marik slumped against the wall, Ryou falling alongside him. Marik reached out an arm and drew Ryou against him—it was enough just to hear his heartbeat alongside his own. Things were escalating far beyond his control, and he was glad someone was there to try to pull him out. "I don't want to see it anymore."

* * *

**Scene Ten:**

…_Where does the Darkness go?_

Bakura disappeared into the void which had engulfed the platform, arms spread wide. It was his homecoming… but there was still work yet to be done. He still had the Ring, while there was still time he could go back. He felt his body twist in on itself before he appeared again, back on the blimp. He had to stay in control of this body; it was all a part of the plan… he had lost a battle, but what was life but one bigger battle? This was a life he had to hold on to. With a twinge of annoyance, he could feel his mind becoming more crowded. He would deal with that later.

* * *

**Scene Thirteen:**

_The Pharaoh was so shocked he literally froze. He could feel every muscle flexing under his command, but most importantly, his mind was completely clear. Yugi wasn't there…_

"_Yugi!" They were at the Island, and it was burning. Smoke pillared from the dueling arena and stretched into the dimming sky. He began to run, unsure of where he was headed, finding no one else in sight. _

_The blimp was gone. _

"_Your so-called friends abandoned you," Marik calmly walked down a set of stairs that had blasted away at the top, never once slowing his pace as he approached the Pharaoh. "Once you lost, they panicked, and left. I don't blame them. I'm not sure _I'd_ want to be here with me."_

"_Where is Yugi?" The Pharaoh roared, staggering over to the bottom of the stairs. _

"_Search your mind," Marik grinned. "Unburdened as it is, I'm sure it will come to you."_

_It all came back crashing like a tidal wave, and the Pharaoh sank to his knees from the force of it. "I…lost…"_

"_Of course you did." Marik looked off into the horizon streaked with red from the sun and black from the smoke. The blimp was out there somewhere. "It was all part of the plan. You lost, and now you're mine."_

"_Are you insane?" The Pharaoh instinctively lifted himself back to his feet, taking one step back, then another. _

"_Why yes." Marik ran one hand along a random lock of hair. The way it pointed at the end, it was almost sharp. He wondered what the Pharaoh's hair would feel like. He supposed he'd find out soon enough. _

"_You really made a grave mistake, Pharaoh," Marik stressed the last word as a mockery of his lost title. "You bet everything on Yugi, but still, you lost. Tell me, how does it feel? Knowing you could do nothing to save him? Where do you think he is, Pharaoh? You know nothing of his fate. Still, it is considerably less than you know about yourself," he scoffed. _

"_Stop." The Pharaoh pleaded. They had come so far, to fail now; within sight of the finish… it was unbearable._

"_Make me, if you can," Marik said. "I'll let you in on a little secret," He finished his descent, his pace still maddeningly slow, towards the Pharaoh. There was nowhere else to go, for either of them. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The Pharaoh held his ground—he had lost, and he would have to pay the price. Marik was close enough now to whisper in his ear. _

"_You know I was a tombkeeper, tasked with upholding knowledge thousands of years old. He waited for the Pharaoh's response. The once-proud Spirit of the Puzzle had his eyes clenched tight, hands knotted into fists in his dirt-covered jacket._

"_Do not toy with me." The Pharaoh's voice was barely a whisper. "I hate you."_

"_I would not lie to you," Marik said. "It is true…the secrets of the Pharaoh are inscribed upon my back."_

_The Pharaoh stiffened. Marik's grin widened. "You've lost everything to me. What do you have left to give? What will you give me to attain this knowledge?"_

"_You've taken everythin—" The Pharaoh's words were cut off as Marik's fingers wound into the Pharaoh's hair, turning his head sharply to the side to look into his eyes. He did not look afraid, merely resigned. He had chosen this fate for himself, after all._

"_You lie." Marik kissed the corner of the Pharaoh's mouth, letting his touch linger longer than necessary. "I want more. And I shall take it, Pharaoh, and you shall give it, because there is nothing else you can do." _

_The Pharaoh had a choice, and he chose the darkest path for himself. He had made his choice without knowing Marik's intentions, but as Marik's face inched closer to his own he knew that as long as he had spared Yugi from this fate, he had made the right choice._

* * *

**Scene Eleven:**

Together, at the height of their strength, using everything that they had…

They had lost.

Marik stood proudly behind his Winged Dragon of Ré, even as the image shattered into a thousand pieces and the arena cleared of all smoke and light. The Pharaoh stepped calmly down from his post, but on the inside he was shaking. They had all thought he would win. What had gone wrong? Was he not strong enough? Had he failed Yugi?

Marik met him halfway between both of their podiums. "Pharaoh, Yugi…I win."

At that instant a burst of light erupted from the Puzzle, and in its wake two bodies lay on the ground. Marik clamped his jaws shut before a laugh could escape. They had done it! Their plan would finally be complete, and he would have that power… he would rule the world in daylight, and in Darkness. He quickly removed the Puzzle from between their joined hands as one figure on the ground stirred, and rose. "Stronger than I thought, Pharaoh."

The Pharaoh looked down in shock, his hand immediately going to check Yugi's pulse. Satisfied, he turned back to Marik. "What have you done?"

"Nothing that wouldn't have happened eventually," Marik savored this moment—this was his victory, and soon he would claim his true prize. "You can't win every game, Pharaoh. You lost—these are the consequences. Now, since you are awake, you will choose: One of you will be sent to the shadow realm. One of you will belong to me."

The Spirit of the Ring stepped out of the shadows. "Make your choice."

The Pharaoh looked down at the sleeping form of his other half… he looked so peaceful. He shouldn't be allowed to suffer, yet the Pharaoh knew he would have to choose the greater of two evils. He tried to memorize every detail on Yugi's face, knowing that he might never see him again. He would never be able to atone for this loss. Yugi, I'm sorry…

The Pharaoh summoned every ounce of courage he possessed. "I'm yours."

The Pharaoh's eyes slid back as his body gave up and collapsed onto the ground. Brushing invisible dirt off of his hands, Marik turned to the spectators of the duel. No one had said a word… they were too much in shock. They believed in Yugi more than he believed in himself.

"Leave this island now," Marik ordered, "Or I will kill you all."

The lone girl in the group began to cry. Silently they hurried towards the blimp, and Marik watched it disappear into the sky before turning to Bakura. Silently they appraised each other; Bakura sidestepped him before bending down to pick up Yugi, who unknowingly snuggled deeper into the embrace. Leaving all words unspoken, Bakura and Yugi disappeared into the shadows, and once they had vanished completely, Marik stepped back, and waited.

* * *

**Scene Twelve:**

_There was nothing. _

_But there he was. _

_Yugi twisted and turned, but couldn't free himself from the hold that the shadows had on him. He could remember being in the shadow realm during his duel with Pegasus, but this…this was different. _

_This was darkness. _

"_Took you long enough, Yugi. I was getting impatient." Out of the shadows stepped Bakura, a triumphant grin slashed across his face. Yugi shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, that small action completely draining what little energy he had left in the thick swirling mist. _

"_It doesn't matter what you remember. The only thing you need to know is that you are here and you will never leave." Bakura's eyes flickered to Ryou, who remained behind Yugi out of sight. "There is a price to pay for those who lose a shadow game."_

"_Where is the Pharaoh!" Yugi tried to shout, but his words came out in merely a whisper. It was the first thing he noticed… he felt almost hollow, without the feeling of the puzzle hanging around his neck, reaching right above his heart. It was hollow—this is what it feels to be defeated…_

"_You're wrong," Bakura's smile stayed fixed in place. "You're nowhere near defeated yet. You have thousands of years to get there… your Pharaoh may break sooner, he is with someone else you may find familiar." Bakura always wanted to cause the Pharaoh pain, and now, he knew that hurting Yugi would do just that. This wasn't what he had originally planned for, but he would make due, and Ryou…his eyes practically glowed in the darkness…_

_Yugi continued to struggle fiercely against his bonds, the darkness slowly sapping away the remainder of his strength. "What are you going to do…?"_

_Bakura looked just over Yugi's shoulder and gave a curt nod. Silently Ryou moved forward until he was standing just behind him. Yugi flinched as he felt those hands on his shoulders, running slowly up until they rested at the nape of his neck. In the darkness Yugi could only see white hair…_

"_Ryou?" His voice was cracked, disbelieving. _

"_Shh…" Ryou closed his eyes, hugging Yugi to his body. If his eyes were closed he could pretend that they were somewhere else, but he had come to accept reality in these shadows… this was the only way he would be able to have Yugi. _

"_Ryou, you've got to help me! Please say something—you must know a way out, anything… Ryou…please!" Yugi was thrashing against the delicate hold Ryou had on his shoulders. Yugi continued to plead, his motions gradually slowing, the twin tracks of tears coursed down his face. Ryou said nothing, just looked up at Bakura once everything was once again still. Ryou didn't have the heart to tell him that there wasn't a way out. …Where does the Darkness go…?_

"…_Why?" Yugi whispered as Bakura approached him. "Ryou, how can you want this?"_

_Bakura leaned down, looking Yugi in the eye. "This is what we both want." Turning to Ryou:_ You want what I want for you_. Yugi could see his reflection in Bakura's eyes like a shining beacon in the darkness, and much like a beacon he wished it was calling him home._

* * *

**The End.**

**Scene Zero:**

_Ryou wanders the halls of his soul room looking for a window that no longer exists. _

* * *

Footnotes:

1. _Psychomachia_ is a Greek term meaning 'Battle for the Soul.' It is also the title of a story of an allegorical battle between virtues and vices.

2. I sometimes bold text when I'm talking about Dark Marik, for added clarity and because I believe that canonically Marik is schizophrenic, hence its really one person.

3. A heartfelt thanks to the beta Jess, who made this story rock out loud!! Thank you!!

_4. Please review?_


End file.
